See No Evil
by elvenrarehunter
Summary: The sequel to Blind Faith. Things haven't exactly gone according to plan. The gang gets back together because of something peculiar that Rylah picked up when they found the treasure. Where to this time? No flames plz. R&R CC welcomed and appreciated.
1. Prologue

_Here is the short beginning. The second chapter is already in the works. I certainly hope this will live up to what was expected by the end of Blind Faith (good or bad). _

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own anyone that you don't recognize from the movie. I do however own Rylah and the characters that appear in future chapters (Varick, Lorelei, Falk, Jaegar, and Harmon). That goes for the rest of the chapters. Any similarities to email addresses/screennames/pennames/usernames used in this story are purely coincidental. I tried to find something that suited the personalities of the characters._

_Without further ado...I give you..._

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**See No Evil**

_A fanfiction by elvenrarehunter_

**

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****Prologue **

The sounds of the courtroom were something foreign to Rylah. She had never heard the mutterings of a jury or the sound of the gavel. Even after six days in court, they still set her on edge. She sat quietly behind the defense bench, wishing that someone would turn back everything. Riley and Ben sat in front of her. Patrick and Abigail sat on either side of her.

Rylah hung her head. The trial had not gone nearly as well as she had hoped it would. The prosecution had an airtight case against them. The defense attorney was blindsided by evidence that hadn't seemed incriminating at the time, but which the prosecution easily turned around to work against them.

A door in the back of the courtroom opened and the twelve jurors filed out of the back of the courtroom. She heard the steady footfalls of the majority of jurors, followed by the limping step of the foreman. The judge also returned to the bench. He sat and the rest of the room followed suit. He turned to look at the foreman.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?" he asked.

"We have, Your Honor," the rough voice of the foreman replied. The judge looked at Ben and Riley.

"Will the accused please stand?" Riley and Ben stood with little hope for their present situation. "On the charges against Riley Poole, how do you find the defendant?" The foreman shifted.

"In regard to the charge of hacking into the security system of the National Archives, we find the defendant guilty as charged." Riley's shoulders sank. "In regards to the charge of accomplice to grand theft, we find the defendant…guilty as charged." Rylah wanted to jump across the barrier keeping her from the jury and pummel the foreman. He said this with such an emotionless air, it didn't seem as if he cared what happened to Ben and Riley. The judge nodded.

"And on the charges against Benjamin Gates?" he asked.

"On the charge of grand theft, we find the defendant guilty. On the charge of trespassing, we find the defendant guilty. On the charge of possession of stolen items we find the defendant guilty. In regard to the charge of identity fraud, the jury finds the defendant guilty. And on the charge of vandalism, the jury finds the defendant…guilty as charged," the foreman read off. Ben's shoulders remained where they were, but everything was in his eyes. He put his hand on Riley's shoulder.

"As such, Mr. Riley Poole, you are sentenced to five years in jail. Bail is posted at $250,000. Mr. Benjamin Gates, you are sentenced to twenty years in jail. No bail," the judge said, banging his gavel to adjourn the court. Ben and Riley were led out of court by three burly bailiffs. Rylah shook her head. This couldn't be happening. There was no way that Riley and Ben, two men who had taken care of her unconditionally, could be going to jail because of something that had redefined history for all of humanity. Given the chance, she was sure that they would all do it again. Abigail placed an arm over her shoulder and helped her to her feet. Everyone was leaving the courtroom. Patrick and Abigail exchanged glances. Ben had been just about ready to propose to Abigail when they had been summoned to court. Patrick had lost a son to jail, Abigail an almost-fiancé. Rylah had lost a brother. They walked outside into the fresh, summer air in Philadelphia. Abigail led them to the car, where Patrick climbed in the driver's seat. Abigail slid into the back seat next to Rylah. Yosume was in the care of a neighbor until they came back from trial. Abigail hugged Rylah.

"Don't worry," Abigail said. "I'm sure that they'll have a good appeal. The judge will see that they did good for humanity." Rylah was not at all convinced.

"Fat lot of good it did them in this trial," she growled. Abigail didn't understand. How could she understand? Rylah turned her face to the window so Abigail wouldn't see her cry. Patrick slowed the car to a stop.

"This is Jacklyn's house," he said quietly. Rylah didn't move. He looked at Abigail. "Abi, do you want to go get Yosume?" Abigail nodded. She walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal Jacklyn, holding a three-year old on her hip.

"Sorry about the mess," she said. "My sister-in-law dropped her kid off this morning because she needed someone to take care of him while she was at a business conference." Abigail nodded politely. Jacklyn nodded her head towards the kitchen. "The dog's in the backyard. You're welcome to go and get him. I've got to go put little Jason here down for a nap." She walked off towards the upstairs. Abigail obeyed and walked over into the kitchen and out the sliding glass door. Yosume picked up his ears and looked at Abigail. Abigail whistled and Yosume trotted over eying her warily. She scratched his ears.

"Come on, you," she said, attaching the leash to his collar. Yosume gave the equivalent of a dog glare and walked towards the gate on the opposite side of the yard. Abigail followed him and locked the gate behind them as the exited. She opened the door for Yosume, who jumped in next to Rylah and licked Rylah's face, as if he knew that something was wrong with her. She patted his head and forced him down on the floor. Abigail climbed in next to them and Patrick drove them to Rylah's apartment she had been sharing with Riley before the hunt. Rylah got out of the car and took the leash off of Yosume. She gave the command to heel and she gave them a quick thank you. The car drove away as Yosume and Rylah entered the apartment. Things were just as they had left it. She felt around on the counter for the radio and she turned it on.

_This is Kenny Keith on JTNT and that was "What was I Thinkin'."_ Here Rylah smiled. Yes, what had they been thinking when they started on the hunt? She was reminiscing and pouring herself a cup of tea when she heard something that the radio station that caught her attention. _On a slightly darker note, there has been word that supposed convict Ian Howe is still at large._ Rylah dropped her cup and it shattered on the floor of the kitchen. Ian hadn't been arrested? She thought that Ben had gone and gotten him with Sadusky. Yosume growled a warning as she moved to exit the kitchen. He nudged her away from the broken mug and she grabbed onto his collar.

"Den," she said. Yosume pulled her gently toward the den. She found the arm of the couch and used it to find her way to the desk that held the computer. She sat down at the computer and didn't know where to begin. Riley had taught her where everything was on the computer, exactly how many clicks it took to get to each program. This was her own computer. She found her email and there were a few messages, but all she really cared about was the email she was about to write. Besides, it wasn't like she could read it until her brother got done with the voice activation program he was making so they didn't have to buy it. She fingered the key on her desk and sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. She created a new message and began her message.

_TO: GreenMonster _

_FROM: blindsight2020_

_MESSAGE CONTENT_

_Hey Ian…_

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_Lemme know how my shaky start was. The next chapter is better, I promise. No flames please, but constructive criticism welcomed and appreciated._


	2. Of Bills, Bites, Bandages, and Brothers

_Hey guys, ERH here with the next installment of See No Evil. Just because some people have been asking, I want to set the record straight. Not going to prison was part of Ben's deal with Sadusky BUT throughout the entire movie, Sadusky keeps saying that "someone has to go to prison." Because they didn't get to Ian due to unforeseen circumstances on their part, Ben and Riley were both brought to trial and there was enough irrefutable evidence to convict them. _

_Now…SHOUTOUTS! Thanks Dimonah Tralon, Nelle07, daisyduke80, Jelly1029, Riley Poole's number-1 fan, labyrinth traveler, Padme4000, Crys Evans, and TheSongOfNature (of course I mentioned you. It was your challenge LOL)._

_Without further ado:_

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**Chapter 1: Of Bills, Bites, Bandages, and Brothers**

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Riley sat in his cell, his head against the wall. He had been in here a day and already he was bored. The least they could do was give him a Rubik's cube. Jail was nothing like how they portrayed it on TV. He got up and paced his cell, counting the steps from one wall to the other (seven from wall to wall, ten from front to back). He sat down again in frustration. He wondered vaguely about his sister and about Abigail and Patrick. He knew how Ben was doing. He was in the cell six to his left and a floor down. Riley was very precise about his numbers. It was during this distraction that a guard came and unlocked the cell. 

"Poole," he said. Riley looked up. He was the guard that had brought him before. His last name was Brenner if he remembered correctly. Brenner motioned with his head out of the cell. "Come with me." Riley got up and followed without question. He was still new to the whole being a convict thing.

Speaking of convicts, if he ever saw Ian again, he was sure that he would strangle him with his own two hands. He was supposed to be in Boston when they brought Sadusky there to arrest him. Damn him. Smart as a fox. How could he have known the repercussions? After all, Riley didn't think he had anything against Ben…

These musings caused Riley to almost run into the back of Brenner as they reached a gate. Brenner swiped a keycard and the gate swung open. He moved to the side and allowed Riley to go in front of him. He heard the gate slam behind him. Brenner nodded at a few of his fellow officers and moved through the maze of corridors to a small round room. On one side of the room there was another door. Across from where they had entered, there was a desk behind a shield of bulletproof glass. Brenner walked him over to the desk.

"Good morning, Anna," he said, tipping his hat. The woman behind the desk smiled.

"Nice to see you too, Erik," she said. Her eyes lit up when she saw Riley. "You must be Mr. Poole. I've heard about your find on the news. It's a shame that you and your friend got put in here," she began as she flipped through some papers. She slid a small pile of papers underneath the glass. "If you'll just sign these." Riley picked up the pen that she slid underneath next. He began reading through the papers and was puzzled.

"Wait…I thought I was in here for five years," he said. She smiled.

"Someone posted your bail. These are the release forms. You just need to sign them and you'll be on your way," she said. Riley immediately signed the papers and handed them to her. She looked through them and nodded to Officer Brenner. "Erik, would you escort Mr. Poole to claim his belongings." Erik nodded and began to walk Riley over to the other door. Riley turned, however, at the last moment.

"Miss Anna," he asked. She looked up.

"Yes?" Riley paused for a moment.

"If I may, who posted my bail?" he asked. She looked at the paperwork. "I just want to know so I can thank them." She continued searching for a moment before looking up.

"It says here that the person who posted your bail was an anonymous donor."

* * *

Rylah sat at her kitchen table, a few of her books in front of her. She ran her fingers across the titles and pushed them aside one by one. She went through all of them, placing them all to the side. She sighed. It was lonely in the apartment. She got herself a cup of coffee and walked into the den. She turned on the stereo and changed it to a classical station. Riley had always hated classical music. He was more into rock. She missed him dearly already. 

Suddenly the phone rang. Rylah jumped at the sudden intrusion into her thoughts. She searched for the phone and cursed as it continued to ring. At last, she found it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey."

"RILEY!" she exclaimed. "What's going on? Is this that one phone call you get?" Riley laughed.

"Glad to see you miss me already. Nothing's going on. This isn't that one phone call you get. I was just wondering if you could open the door to the apartment." She walked over warily.

"Why?" she asked.

"Please?" he said. She reached a hand out for the knob on the door and opened it. Riley clicked his cell phone off. He reached forward and pulled Rylah into a bear hug. She dropped the phone.

"Holy Lord! Riley! What are you doing out of jail? You didn't break out did you?" she asked, immediately worried for Riley's safety. Riley laughed, a welcome sound for Rylah.

"No," he said. "Someone posted my bail." Rylah looked confused.

"Who?" Riley shrugged.

"I dunno," he answered as he walked to the refrigerator. There was some orange juice, some fruit, a few sodas, a bag of mini carrots, some milk, a small container of lunch meat, and some salad. He looked at Rylah.

"Hey, where is all the good food?" he asked jokingly. His sister, like anyone, enjoyed the occasional sweet treat, but for her occasional meant almost never (unless you count the tin of chocolate-covered mints that she got whenever she went to the convenience store). She stuck out her tongue.

"I didn't expect you back so soon," she said. "Besides, I wasn't planning to feed more than one." He closed the refrigerator and sighed.

"I suppose I will have to stock up on the essentials," he said.

"Oh yes, everything from Twinkies to Life Cereal," she said.

"You know me too well," he said. He grabbed his keys from where he had left them on the counter. "I'll be right back. I want to go out and grab something. You want anything?" She shook her head.

"Nah," she answered. "But hurry back. I want you to tell me all about your brief jail stay." Riley made a mock salute.

"Yes ma'am." With that he left, once more leaving Rylah with Yosume, who laid his head on her lap. She smiled.

"Look Yosume, Riley's back. It will be nice having someone else to play with, won't it?" she asked. Rylah adjusted the chain around her neck, which held a key, the one she had found when she fell at the end of the last escapade.

There was a rapping at the door and Rylah jumped out of her skin. Yosume growled. She shushed him and walked over to the door.

"Who's there?" she asked through the closed door. There was no response. She reached into the closet next to the door and pulled out the gun that Riley had bought her. "Who's there?" she asked again. She heard the shuffling of feet outside her door. She flung the door open and Yosume's ears were back, his teeth bared in a feral snarl. He let out a deep growl. Rylah pulled the gun up to defend herself. "Who are you?"

"Is that any way to say hello to an old friend?" a familiar voice asked. The gun clattered from Rylah's hands and fell onto the floor.

"Ian?" she asked. Before he could respond, Yosume launched himself at Ian, thinking it had been he that had disarmed her. He bit Ian's forearm causing Ian to cry out as he stumbled backwards with the sudden weight of the German Shepard. Rylah yelped with fright. She heard Yosume growling and Ian cursing at the dog. He finally managed to get the dog detached from his arm, which he held with his other hand. Yosume had done more damage than Ian thought him capable of and his arm was bleeding rather profusely. "Ian? Ian, are you alright?"

"Do you have gauze wrap or an ace bandage or something I can wrap this in?" he said through his teeth. Rylah reached for him and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Bathroom, second door on the left," she said, holding Ian's uninjured arm. He walked into the bathroom and closed the toilet lid. He sat down and winced. _Damned dog._ Rylah began to raid the closet for towels. "Make yourself useful and get some hydrogen peroxide," she snapped.

"Yes ma'am," Ian said, his tone sarcastic. He got up and looked through the medicine cabinet above his head. He pulled out the hydrogen peroxide and set that down before he got the cotton to swab the bite. Rylah had pulled out some gauze bandages and a couple of towels, one which she had laid on the bathroom counter so Ian could rest his arm there. Ian was surprised at how organized their closet was. Rylah counted the shelves and then reached back and retrieved an ace bandage.

"Clean yourself up," she said. Yosume sat protectively at the door to the bathroom. Ian mocked her manner as he poured some hydrogen peroxide onto a cotton ball. He hissed as the chemical began to disinfect the bite. "Oh _please_…men are such babies." He washed it off and began to doctor it, wrapping it first in gauze and then in an ace bandage to keep it together. He ran into a bit of trouble when he was unable to tie it.

"Rylah, can you tie this for me?" he asked. She sighed.

"I'll try," she said. She found the countertop and his arm. She felt for the edge of the bandage and he handed it to her. She managed to tie it into a halfway decent knot, causing Ian to wince only once when she tied it tightly. She leaned against the wall. "How did you evade the police? I thought that they would have gotten you when they went to Boston." Ian laughed as he adjusted the bandage.

"I got your note," he said. "Creative way to tell me that I was being stupid: through poetry." He pulled out the slip of paper he kept in his wallet. "_And lo! as he looks on the belfry's height a glimmer, and then a gleam of light. He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, but lingers and gazes till full on his sight, a second lamp in the belfry burns._" He looked at her and she was shocked.

"I didn't think that that was going to get to you in time," she said. She came to the sudden realization that she was at fault for sending her brother and dear friend to jail.

"I'm glad it did," he said. He cleared his throat. "I am sorry about Ben and Riley. Had I known the consequences of my actions…"

"How do you know about Ben and Riley?" she asked. Ian made a noise of disbelief.

"You don't think I've been living under a rock, do you?" he asked. Rylah blushed. "I watch TV. I listen to the radio. That and McGregor went to the trial for me." He smiled.

"Ian—" she started, but the door creaked open.

"Rylah, I'm home," Riley said. Ian and Rylah both looked shocked. The inevitable came as Riley walked towards the bathroom and turned to see Rylah and Ian together. His face flushed with anger. "How dare you show your face here?" he snapped.

"Riley!" Rylah snapped.

"What have you done to my sister, Ian?" he growled.

"Absolutely nothing!" Ian responded.

"I don't believe you!" Riley said, moving his sister away from Ian.

"Riley," she said, completely annoyed. "I can take care of myself." He looked at her in disbelief.

"Rye…you are in a bathroom with a wanted felon…this is not my idea of taking care of yourself," Riley said. Rylah made a noise that showed she was clearly displeased. Ian got up and pushed past Riley.

"Don't worry. I was on my way out the door," he said. Rylah touched the chain on her neck.

"Ian!" she said. He turned around as he got to the door. She blushed. "There's something I wanted you to look at." The request was little more than a whisper. He approached her again.

"What?" Rylah took the key from around her neck and reached out for Ian's hand. When she found it, she placed the key in his hand.

"What do you make of this?" she asked. Ian took the key and fingered the key. He inspected it closely.

"It's an awfully thick key," he said. "Antiqued, but not ancient." He turned it over in his hand and came to a sudden realization. "Riley." Riley quirked an eyebrow.

"Ian."

"Isn't this the same symbol that was on the tomb?" he asked, pointing to the symbol made into the ring portion of it. Riley looked at it with interest, though he was hesitant to get too close to him. It wasn't all that long ago that Ian had been brandishing a gun at him.

"It is…" he said thoughtfully. Ian noticed something on the bottom of the symbol.

"I wonder…" Ian looked at Riley. "Can I borrow your glasses?"

"Why?"

"Because I think I found something," Ian said impatiently. Riley pulled his glasses out of his pocket.

"I didn't know you wore glasses," he said. Ian rolled his eyes as he flipped open one side of the glasses.

"I don't." Ian placed the glasses in the center of the symbol and it gave way, turning with protest from the rust. Ian continued to work it until the symbol had flipped entirely around. A small compartment on the side of the key opened up to reveal a sheet of paper. Ian used Riley's glasses to pull out the scrap of paper before he handed them back to Riley.

"What does it say?" Riley asked.

"AE334F9G…" he read.

"What does that mean?" Rylah asked. Ian shrugged.

"I don't know, but there's one way we can find out."

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Woohoo! They're starting another adventure. Thanks so much all for reading. I'd be much obliged if you drop me a line using the little purple button. No flames please. Constructive criticism welcomed and appreciated. 


	3. Hitting the Books

_Hello everyone. I'm back with this story. I'm sorry for the terrible delay, but HW, school, and life has caught up with me at an alarming rate. I will be finishing this, but it may take me some time. Thank you to anyone who is still reading this. And thank you for the recent reviewers who gave me a kick in the butt to get this started again. Without further ado, here's chapter two. (Ha, that rhymed. I'm a poet and I didn't even know it lol)_

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**Chapter 2: Hitting the Books**

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The last hours had gone by so quickly. Rylah sat at the kitchen countertop, stirring the water she had in front of her with a straw. She heard the distant mutterings of Ian, who spoke with several people (presumably his team) over the phone in a room farther back. Riley slept fitfully on the couch, not exactly comfortable with having Ian in the apartment. Yosume sat vigilantly eying every move Ian made as he paced from room to room.

Rylah placed a hand on her forehead. She wasn't sure what to think of Ian, knowing his dual nature after his display under the church. She also felt guilty about sending her brother and Ben to jail. This whole mess was her fault. She placed her head in her hands. Maybe she should have just let Ian go on his merry way and let things unfold, but her conscience had prevented that. What could she say? She owed him a lot.

She jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder, nearly falling off the chair. A pair of strong hands held her waist as she calmed herself. She slapped one of the hands away and turned to confront the owner. She stood, causing Yosume to jump to his feet as well.

"You could have given me a little warning," she said, folding her arms over her chest, obviously annoyed. A soft laugh came from the owner, and she instantly knew who it was. Her brother wouldn't have laughed. "Urg…Ian, you make me so mad sometimes," she said, turning back to grab her water. Ian took one of her hands.

"I'm sorry," he said, and Rylah searched for any trace of insincerity. All that lingered on the words was amusement. "I learned to move quietly, and you know what they say about old habits." Rylah turned in his general direction and he let go of her hand. She used her newly freed hand to push a strand of hair behind her ear as she let out a sigh.

"So what was all that about?" she asked as Ian placed the phone back on its base. He turned back to her.

"That was me putting together a plan," he said, moving towards the couch where Riley dozed. He called Riley, who merely turned away from the sound. He called a second time, slightly louder, only to earn the same response. Rylah whistled loudly, causing Riley to stir and wake up, slightly confused.

"I'm up," he grumbled, sitting up. His eyes fell on Ian and Riley came crashing back into reality.

"Hope we didn't wake you or anything," Ian said, rolling his eyes while Riley narrowed his. Ian threw a small object at Riley, which he caught clumsily. He looked at it, a small black box with a wire wrapped around it that ended in a small device.

"A microphone?" he asked. Ian scoffed.

"You didn't think I was going to let you go out information gathering without some way to supervise you, did you?" he asked. "You overestimate my faith in you. Put it on." Riley grumbled as he placed the microphone pack inside his jeans on his back. He began to clip it to his shirt when Ian clicked his tongue. Riley looked up at him.

"Got something to say?" Ian shrugged.

"Actually, I was going to tell you what an amateur you are at this sort of thing," Ian replied taking a step toward Riley. He pointed to where Riley had clipped the microphone, hanging in plain sight. "It's too obvious there. Use the clip I gave you and put it here," he continued, indicating a more discreet place. Riley grumbled about having to listen to him, but obeyed nonetheless. Ian then handed him an earpiece.

"What's this for?" Riley asked.

"So you can hear me," Ian said, motioning to the desk, where there was a headset hooked up to his computer. Riley shook his head in disbelief.

"Do you carry these things around on a regular basis?" he asked.

"Only when—" Ian began, but Rylah's quiet voice stopped him.

"Stop it. Both of you," she said. Truth be told, both Riley and Ian had nearly forgotten she was there. Ian placed his hands in his pockets, but didn't pick his fight with Riley. That could come later if it arose. "So where is everyone going?"

"Well, Riley is going to the library," he said, addressing Rylah. He turned to Riley next. "There you'll meet up with Shaw and Phil. Victor's ready at a moment's notice when we get our information. And we'll go from there."

"And what am I doing?" she asked. Ian turned back to her.

"You're not doing anything," Ian said.

"Why not?" Rylah asked, taking a step toward him.

"Because that's the plan."

"I found the key!"

"Thus why should you waste the time researching it?" Ian asked.

"I want to help!"

"What are you going to do?"

"That's your job to figure out."

"So I say you're not doing anything." Rylah sighed, exasperated. Talking to Ian was like running your head into a brick wall. She took another step towards him.

"I invited you here," she said quietly, so only Ian could hear her. "This is my treasure to find and I want to help." She batted her eyelashes in the hopes the effect would make Ian change his mind. The sound that came out of him was much akin to Rylah's earlier sigh.

"Fine, you can go with them. Tell Powell to outfit you with a microphone. He's in the van across the street," he said, moving to the desk and sitting in the chair. Riley grabbed his sister's hand and started towards the door, but she pulled away, moving back towards Ian. She found the desk and he turned to look at her. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to plant a kiss on his forehead.

"Thanks Ian," she said, going back towards her brother. Ian returned to the computer with a grudging acquiescence as he watched them leave.

* * *

Riley stepped into the seemingly ancient library with Rylah in tow. Ian had told them Shaw and Phil would meet them here, so where were they? He heard Ian's voice crackling over the microphone, calling the names of his team, checking to see if they all worked. Each one muttered an affirmative in response.

"Alright…" Ian's voice crackled again. "Riley and Rylah, Shaw and Phil are running late, so get started where you can."

"Ok," Rylah responded quietly, excited that she had gotten to go. Riley rolled his eyed.

"Numbers in a library. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Whose brilliant idea was this?" he said quietly to Rylah as the librarian approached them.

"Riley…you do know that I can hear you," Ian growled, causing a giggle from Rylah. Before Riley could mutter something in return, the librarian was striking up conversation.

"Rylah, dear, it's been ages since I've seen you," she said with a smile. "And Riley. I haven't seen you since your days of writing term papers." Rylah smiled. The librarian always put her at ease. Riley, however, was slightly intimidated by the five foot four petite woman who had haunted his nightmares as a child with her overdue fines.

"Miss Englet," Rylah greeted warmly. She had always loved the sweet older woman. "I know, I've been on an adventure you wouldn't believe." She said with a slight laugh.

"Ah yes, I've heard. Finding that secret treasure," she said. "It's a credit to your family, you and the Gates." Ian could be heard impatiently tapping his fingers on the desk back at the apartment.

"Yeah, it was a blast," Riley said, eager to extend this conversation as long as possible, if only to annoy Ian.

"I'm surprised you haven't written a book on it," Miss Englet said. "As I recall, Riley, your papers were quite creative." Riley recognized the jab at him and turned a pale pink. Rylah laughed. Riley's papers had always been quite interesting to say the least.

"Enough of the small talk," Ian muttered into the microphone, causing Rylah to fix the hair by her ear.

"Actually, Miss Englet," Rylah said, trying to chance the subject. "I'm looking to write something on my limited experience in treasure hunting, and I came across this paper in my things," she said, pulling the paper from her pocket. "Riley said it's got a bunch of numbers on it." The librarian took the paper from Rylah and placed her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Hmmm…" she muttered, examining the numbers. "Well, the lettering on here looks older. Surely neither of you wrote this?" Both shook their heads. "It could be anything. A record number, a card catalog number, though the librarian that uses that sort of system should be taken out an hung." Rylah giggled. "But really, it could be anything. I can set you two up in the back with any books that might help, if you'd like."

"That would be great," Rylah said. "We're expecting two more, though. A couple of our friends."

"We're here," came Shaw's voice. She felt his hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, we got hung up in traffic."

"And you would be?" Miss Englet asked, eyeing them warily. To her, they looked like trouble.

"I'm Shaw and that's Phil," he said.

"Friends from our treasure hunting expedition," Rylah said quickly. "I really appreciate your help, all of you." She said, turning to lay a hand on Shaw's arm. Miss Englet nodded to them.

"Right this way."

Several hours later, Riley, Rylah, Shaw, and Phil were still sitting at the table, wading their way through mountains of sources. They had been thus far unsuccessful and their patience was beginning to wear thin, especially Riley.

"Ian, there's nothing here," he said. "The library is obviously not the place to look."

"Got a better idea?" he asked. "I'm looking on the internet from your apartment, but I'm coming up empty."

"There's a shocker," Riley muttered back.

"Really, you two. Are you going to be like this the entire time?" Rylah scolded as Shaw and Phil remained working silently. "We have at least ruled out several things."

"Yeah, but we're no closer to finding out what it is," Phil said, as he placed another book on the growing pile at his feet. "Maybe the key has something to do with it. I mean the key could give us a time period." Before anyone could reply, the librarian came back through the door.

"Any luck?" she asked with a half-smile. Rylah shrugged.

"Erm…not really," she answered. "To be quite honest, we're kind of taking a stab in the dark here. Do you know much about keys?" The librarian was a bit taken aback by the question.

"No, not really. Only which one goes to which door in the library," she said.

"Fat lot of help that is," Ian muttered into the headset.

"However, my best friend's husband is a locksmith," she continued, "perhaps he could tell you." Shaw nodded approvingly. Connections were always a good thing, and this was sheer luck. "I can call him for you if you'd like." Rylah nodded.

"Thank you, Miss Englet," Rylah said.

* * *

Riley and Rylah rolled up in front of a large gray house. Riley parked and got out, offering a hand to his sister as they approached the man sitting on the porch. He waved to them as they came up the walk.

"Hello," he called, getting to his feet. "You must be Rylah and Riley." He shook both their hands. "My wife's friend said you would be coming. What can I help you with?" he asked. Rylah pulled her necklace to the top of her shirt and slipped it off her neck, bumping her microphone.

"I managed to pick this up," she said, offering the key. The man took it with a large hand and held it up in front of him. He examined it as it turned. "We were wondering if you could tell us where it might be from or what it might go to. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated." She did her best to look innocent, hoping that he wouldn't ask more.

"Hmmm…" he said. "Well, I couldn't tell you what it goes to without seeing the lock as well. I can, however, tell you that this style of key is characteristic of German key makers in the early to mid 1900s. See…" he said, pointing to a symbol etched into the surface of the key. "This was a symbol for journeymen locksmiths in Germany. The man who made it is probably dead, but there's an expert locksmith in Germany, specializes in antique locks and antique keys. The name is Hessenholtz. I've never met him, but I've heard he's a genius when it comes to locks. If you could get to Germany to ask him, I'm sure he'd be of greater use." He handed the key back to Rylah, who took it and put it in her pocket.

"Germany?" Ian said, and the sound of typing could be heard from his side. Riley echoed the sentiment a moment after him.

"Thank you, very much," Rylah said, tugging on Riley's arm.

"My pleasure," he said, waving them off as Riley escorted them. She fixed her hair, pressing the microphone into her ear.

"Ian, when can…" she began, but Ian cut her off.

"We have a flight tomorrow at 6:00 in the morning," he said. Rylah smiled.

"Thanks Ian."

* * *

_I hope that this wasn't terribly slow moving. Next chapter they will be in Germany, so that should be fun. R&R and let me know what you think. Flames will sorely interrupt the flight to Germany, so be kind to the poor characters and no flames please. Concrit is welcomed and appreciated._


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